Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-01-31
METALLIC FREAKS.

yer Dropped on Geld slabs.
Ten years ago this winter I stood in
the big California stamp mill at Virgins
City, New, watching the sixty ponderous
250-pound weights thundes..S on b
quartz. The pulp wss being stirred in
The great pans; the taiilnRs were gong
u down Q fume like a mill race. At
each settling pan Was Q large canvas bag
held IN 9 vlse.llke grip. 1 was invited to
shrust my hand into n Of them. / did
30, o brought mp . great handful OF
something that was heavy and ~ elusive
q~uicksand.
'"That," said Senator Fair, then super
~intendeDt of the Big Bonanza mine, sis
Amalgam.quicksilver and gold and silver,
We put that In red hot retorts. The
quicksilver passes of in vapor, IL CAUGHT
and precipitated, and the bullion comes
out in q blackened but solid mess. Now
come-down to the refining room and I'll
show you something. Dye ever see how
silver spreads when you drop 1t? I can't
do this as we'll as I'd like to, for there's
too much gold, this stuff rum 45 per cent
gold and its too heavy TO work ~ I'd
like it,"
Senator Fair led the way to Q in
. brick building adjacent, where two
great caldrons were boiling and bub-
bling. There's half Q million in each
OF those" said Mr. Fair. Johnny, clear
this iron table, and get me two blocks
OF ice."
The ice was brought, and the blocks
were placed . foot apart on the iron bed.
When all was chilled Mr.. Fair ya,d:
Give me 3 fifty n lsdle," The
latter WAS dipped into n Of the cal.
drons and Came up with . pint OF white,
molten fluid. "Now WATCH" said Mr.,
Fair. He held it up as high a. his arms
would reach, and dropped 1t ON the cold
slab between the cakes of ice. He
dropped it in splatches OF
little mov than . tablespoon
full each. The effect wae
marvellous. As the liquid silver and
gold fell ita weight scattered it into ten
Thousand conceivable shapes and the
cold chill 30 suddenly applied CONCEALED
1T into q hundred thousand inconceiv-
able shapes in an instant. There were
spiat.ers and splatches, and all
sorts Of things. Where q single drop
would fall it would expand to either Q
coach wheel or . cobweb, a. the freak
would take it. II MIR. FAIR dropped 8
spoonful next the cake Of Zoe tho splash
es would rise, catch on to the Zoe, and
make q perfect little wire forest, Il was
one OF the most 3eausainl sights the
writer had eyer sees
"Jewelers and silvessmiths," said Mr..
Fair, ''get q good many of their ideas
from just such idiosyncraoies of silver
bullion. Ihave held it up before now,
dropped 1t, and seen come q the odd.
est and most surprising forms. Lon
Hamilton, Jones brother-in-law. has q
complete coach and four and hounds
behind-ths result OF lust one splatch
on 9 cake OF ice down At the Belcher.
Odd things, in silver2 Oh, the silver.
smiths are more perfect than we are.
but III bet I DAN hold this ladle up, drop
the whole of it On that cold slab. and
you will ace q variety OF forms, devices,
and gnotesqueries such as you never
dreamed OF. Johnny, give me q fresh
ladle. Now, stand away. Here she
,gosBP r. and q pint OF molten silver went
out on the cauldron.
Ten thousand shapes and i'll shapes,
and Q nother thousand forms were there
There were forests and streams, and
plrdA and reptiles, Nnd rocks and noun
tains. To have picked ont ell would
have been . weeks task.
"Chuck 10 back into the PAN" said Mi.
Fair. Give me enother ladle. Now
watch this"
Downit wens IN tbs COLI slab. There
were elephants and R~iraffes, and lions
and dogs. and African bungalows, and
one spiatch Q marching regiment could
have been made out by q trifing stretch
OF the imagination.
81 XIX